BONUS Episode: 2023 Year in Review

Welcome to our BONUS EPISODE of Car Chat Podcast! We thought it would be fun to have an EXTRA conversation about all the women of the bible that we got to know in 2023 - like a Year in Review.

We wanted to do this for a couple reasons:
- to remember by each sharing ONE THING that impacted us from each woman's life
- to present these nine women IN ORDER as they appear in the Bible

1 | Eve | Episode 1 | Genesis 1-3 | Feb 2023
2 | Sarah | Episode 7 | Genesis 12-23 | Oct 2023
3 | Hagar | Episode 2 | Genesis 16-17, 21 | Mar 2023
4 | Rebekah | Episode 8 | Genesis 24-27 | Nov 2023
5 | Leah & Rachel | Episode 9 | Genesis 29-35 | Dec 2023
6 | Miriam | Episode 4 | Exodus 2, 15 Numbers 12, 20 | May/June 2023
7 | Rahab | Episode 6 | Joshua 2, 6 | Aug 2023
8 | Deborah | Episode 3 | Judges 4-5 | Apr 2023
9 | Naomi | Episode 5 | Ruth | Jul 2023

Here are a few things FOR YOU:
- Click HERE for the COMPLETE CHART with the above order and information
- Click HERE for YOUR ONE THING PDF chart for each woman

Pull up a chair with us at the table as we pull up a chair for each woman of the bible that we got to know in 2023. They are just like us. Who God is to them, he is to you and me.

We hope you enjoy!
Much, much love,

Amy and Jamy

IG: @amyruthpetersen
@jamyfisher

produced by: 4110 Ministries, LLC

Transcript

Amy: 0:08

Hey everyone, welcome to Car Chat Podcast. I'm Amy, I'm Jamy, and each month we chat in my car about a woman of the Bible. But this is our bonus episode. We're going to look back and remember the women we got to know in 2023. And there's nine of them. So you listeners, welcome to 2023 year in review. It's really crazy that we've walked through an entire year, jamie.

Jamy: 0:33

Amazing, and we just had chosen a few of our favorites. Yes, we didn't really have them in an order or anything, so it's been great to kind of get them all settled where they need to be.

Amy: 0:42

So we wanted to take this bonus episode for two reasons. One, to go back and highlight just one thing that Jamie and I each want to remember, have thought about since recording, or the Lord has spoken to us through it, but do them in order of biblical history, of how they're in the Bible, so that if you want to gather a community of women and learn these women together, you have the option to go through them in order. So there's going to be a chart on the show notes here that you can follow that will put the first nine in order. If you've been with us for a while, you too may want to go on a journey of remembering these women. So if you want to hit the pause, there is a sheet on the show notes that you can download and actually have blanks for the one thing for each woman and fill those in and then come back and join us as we are going to be talking about the one thing.

Amy: 1:39

It's just good to remember, because I forget everything all the time. We always have conversations like what's that name, who is that? It's really simple thing, and I'm sure most of you all do too.

Jamy: 1:50

I'm sure none of them identify with that at all.

Amy: 1:53

Well. I love that God knows too, because he tells us to remember all the time. That's right, don't forget, remember, don't forget, remember.

Jamy: 1:58

Yes, I often say it's a spiritual discipline way up there.

Amy: 2:01

You should remember that's right To be rehearsing and remembering Absolutely that's so good, well, pull up a chair with us and let's pull up a chair for each of these women as we look back in review for 2023. All right, the first woman in biblical order and episode order is Eve, and she was found in Genesis one through three, and I'm going to share my one thing, and then you can share your one thing. We'll just go back together. My one thing for Eve was just that she was perfect, and I don't even know what sinlessness could look like, but in her perfection, she was still vulnerable to sin, and it makes me feel better that, even as I try my hardest to allow the spirit to have me walk on a path that is honoring him, it's a wake up call, too, that I'm going to be vulnerable to sin, and so I better be on guard.

Jamy: 2:53

Yes, my favorite thing about Eve is that she was in her perfection. She was the arrival of the very. Everything was good, except it wasn't good that Adam was alone. Eve is the crowning. She was the arrival of the very good. She was also the arrival of shame, and in that I think all of us can identify with that. There are things in our calling that God says this is very good, I've made you for this. But we also need to realize that we let shame into our story so much. I also love that. She's our mother. She's our pioneer in seeking hope in difficult places.

Amy: 3:30

She's our pioneer of all womanhood the mother of life.

Jamy: 3:33

Even after all that bad story, God still called her the mother of life, mother of the living. There is still life and she's a great example for us to. She is a trailblazer. We get to follow her example. I love that and she surprised me so much. I know we already talked about this, but I loved studying her.

Amy: 3:50

So then the second woman in biblical order is Sarah. Yes Is next. Yes, but she was actually episode seven.

Jamy: 3:57

Yes, because I wanted to talk about other people.

Amy: 4:00

Because, self-confessed, you did not like. You don't still like Sarah very much.

Jamy: 4:04

But I like what God taught me Okay what did he teach you?

Jamy: 4:08

The biggest. My one thing with Sarah is that she was a woman who lived a life of faith, even in an imperfect story, and the way God remembers her later in scripture, especially in Hebrews, is as a woman of faith. She's our example given in the scripture. So it's so good for me to know that. I know that imperfection is in her narrative, because God gives us those in the scriptures, but it's such a great reminder that we can have problems and mess ups in our story and still have a life of faith and faithfulness, and that's what Sarah did. Okay, here's mine.

Amy: 4:44

Yes, the fact that she lived so long in the shadow of an unfulfilled promise, for the promise to come to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations, but yet she was barren and then for 25 years she did not have a baby. And then she laughed and lied at God. I love Sarah because I'm so like. I got you girl. I am the same with you, but the fact that she lived so long in the shadow of unfulfilled promises and really made some bad choices in the midst of that, I just think it's she's a good picture of what not to do in that situation.

Jamy: 5:20

A lot of our ladies have cautionary tales.

Amy: 5:23

The third and biblical order of the ladies that we did last year was Hagar and she was the one that we did second, so she's in episode two. She's episode two, genesis 16, 17 and 21. And my one thing about Hagar is that God saw her and I love Elroy, I love that he saw her, but he still told her to go back into a very hard family situation and sometimes I don't want to hear that about.

Jamy: 5:51

God.

Amy: 5:52

And she was a story of that.

Jamy: 5:54

What I love about Hagar story is is what I learned about God and his absolute, resolute, immovable devotion to his plan, even while prioritizing and loving and giving voice to individuals that most of us would have just cast aside. The fact that Hagar is even, that he doesn't just let her die, speaks to the beauty of God's love for individuals, even while he is working out a plan that can't be moved. Her story teaches us I think it teaches me that in an amazing way.

Amy: 6:27

I just got this phone.

Jamy: 6:28

Even this week I was watching some crime show or some detective show and it's talking about the conflicts in the Middle East and I think, okay, god, you loved Hagar enough to let her be a part of something that would eventually create this conflict.

Amy: 6:44

It's amazing to me that he loved her and he loves us, and she was the alternate plan of Abraham and Sarah to achieve the promise that he had given, and she was just caught in the crossfires of it all, absolutely.

Jamy: 6:59

I wouldn't let them derail his plan, but he didn't let Hagar just be nothing.

Amy: 7:04

That's so good.

Jamy: 7:05

Just be tossed aside by garbage.

Amy: 7:06

Gosh, that's so good. Yeah, All right. So the fourth biblical order Lady is Rebecca, and she was episode eight. She is found in Genesis 24 through 27. And what's the one thing about Rebecca that you remember?

Jamy: 7:23

The one thing about Rebecca is that being seeking control in situations where you have no control or where you're feeling secure or you're not sure what's happening, seeking control at all costs destroys relationships. Oh my gosh, because she wanted, she had this information, she had this idea of what life was going to look like. But rather than trusting that knowledge to God, she assumed control, made herself be in control and she lost so much. Another thing I love about her just kind of side note is the beauty of her love story. They have the sweetest, best love story and I love that about it and they were monogamous.

Jamy: 8:04

Yes, which is so unique?

Amy: 8:05

Yes, Back then I love that. Say that again, the whole thing you just said about control.

Jamy: 8:10

Yes, her decision to be in control of things, even when she felt powerless or she didn't have enough control, her resolute determination to stay in control destroyed her relationship. Destroyed her relationship it destroyed her relationships between her sons and with her sons.

Amy: 8:28

Any control freaks out there. Anyone know it. Anyone know they are, I do and it does not lead anywhere good in your relationship. So, you think you're clinging and maintaining something of beauty, but you are squashing it.

Jamy: 8:43

Yeah, and she thought she was following God's plan, because she knew, because he had given her a promise, but she forced it in a way that was not able, not something that made it where her sons and her and herself and her husband could flourish in their relationship. Oh my gosh, and control it, will it will. I'm going to come back and listen to that one.

Amy: 9:03

That's good. My one thing about Rebecca is that she played favorites that ruined her family but it didn't deter God's plan for her son, Jacob.

Amy: 9:11

That's right. I love the fact that this mom really had a control issue with what she wanted to do with her son and led her son to be disobedient or dishonest about who he was. She led her son to do that, but still God used it and as a mom, I think of all the missteps that I have made already with my kids and the fact that it did not spoil what God had called Jacob to do. That's right. That has really pulled me out of some spirally thinking about shame.

Jamy: 9:46

We can let that burden go. God's got it, he's got them.

Amy: 9:49

And I think about Rebecca all the time with that. And I'm so grateful for her story in scripture.

Amy: 9:55

Number five in biblical order is Leah and Rachel, and you notice I said Leah first, because she's the oldest and they were episode nine, which was the last one we did in December, and they're in Genesis 29. So these are all Genesis, ladies. The one thing that I remember about Leah and Rachel and I've thought about is with the competition in their relationship to have babies and who loved who more. We're assuming that probably their differences were compared, growing up instead of celebrated and in a family. I would I have been much more aware after their story to make sure that, with my three boys to be able to celebrate, all of us celebrate our differences and not using it as a point of comparison.

Jamy: 10:49

That is so good. I love that. That is something to take to heart. I hope we can really hear that. For me, I think, whereas with Rebecca it was that control destroys relationships with Rachel and Leah, and Rachel With Lee and Rachel, it was that competition destroys relationships. And however that looks like in your family, whether it's between sisters, between between spouses, that you're creating it, curating it, letting it flourish among your children, competition will tear up our relationships. For sure, and I also loved that. We can't kind of what you've already said, but we can't mess up God's plans to the point that he, he, doesn't know what to do with us and that even how Leah and Leah and Judah when we followed Leah's naming of her sons and got to Judah and finally this time I'll praise God, that sticks with me I think of that a lot of how God chose Judah and how he came from Leah and not from Rachel, not from the favored one.

Amy: 11:48

And I don't think I made that connection until we had this conversation about him about them.

Jamy: 11:52

It's one of my favorite things about their story.

Amy: 11:54

It is amazing. It was through the line of Leah that Jesus Christ came. Yeah, oh, love it. There's so much good stuff in there. Number six of biblical order is Miriam, and she was actually Episode four. Her story is found in Exodus and Numbers, and what's one thing about Miriam that you remember?

Jamy: 12:13

I loved her. She, like Moses, lived three lifetimes and I. My favorite thing about her is that she led women to praise God, and she's the first talk about a pioneer. She, she does that and I love her leadership to give women the courage to come out of their daily routines and fears and praise God. She leads them to do that and I also. A big lesson with her that I always think of is the dangers of pride. That it's OK to let other people do what they're called to do. It's OK not to be the one in charge.

Amy: 12:47

It's OK not to be the one in charge. Yeah, it's OK. That's a wonderful word.

Jamy: 12:52

That's really good, maybe a T-shirt.

Amy: 12:53

These are the names on that.

Jamy: 12:55

It's OK not to be in charge and it's not OK to say prideful.

Amy: 13:00

Oh, that's so good. Well, the one thing about Miriam that I remember is that she was a very resourceful big sister, as she oversaw Moses in the basket as a baby, but she also led Israel with her brothers by her side, and I think that's such a cool picture of sibling loyalty, which we saw contrast to with Leah and Rachel. We see such a sweetness with Miriam.

Jamy: 13:24

Oh, I love that. And Aaron and Moses, yeah, I love that.

Amy: 13:28

All right. The seventh woman that we talked about in biblical order was Rahab, and she was probably the closest that we've got to order. She was number episode number six. Ok, so she's seventh biblical order and she's episode number six, and her story is found in Joshua, and the one thing that I remember about Rahab was God used who she was as a prostitute and where she was located in the city, the inn or the brothel or whatever it was where she lived. He used that to bring victory to her and his people. Exactly, and again, it's just this restorative you can't go too deep for God to reach in. Pull you out and continue laying out the story Of your life.

Jamy: 14:15

Absolutely. It's all about what our hearts, where we decide to give our hearts affection. My favorite thing about her is that she had the courage to believe God when everyone around her did not. They were all of them were melting. The text says their hearts were melting in fear because of the Israelites, but it made her want to go closer to God instead of get farther away. I love that about her. She had the courage to believe, but she also had the courage to act, and she is a hero.

Amy: 14:43

She is without a doubt, and she is known as that. Yes, throughout scripture. Our eighth woman in biblical order is Deborah. She was episode three and her story is found in Judges. And what's one thing about Deborah?

Jamy: 14:57

I love, love, love, deborah, deborah. My favorite thing about Deborah is that she led fearlessly, but she also made room for the calling of God on other people, so she didn't demand to be singularly the only one In her story. She is also celebrating and bringing up other people who God has also called to leadership.

Amy: 15:21

Gosh, that's a whole leadership point there and I know we talked about some of it, but it's landing a little different today.

Jamy: 15:26

Her lessons. So much on leadership. Yeah, definitely.

Amy: 15:29

It really is, because it's hard to delegate.

Jamy: 15:32

Anybody who doesn't delegate well, anyone in charge of things and doesn't want to let other people be in charge.

Amy: 15:37

Deborah is a beautiful example of it, not having to be exactly how you envision as the leader, but trusting that the Lord will lead his people and you have it in the right hands to take it better, and she was a gentle truth teller, which I think.

Jamy: 15:51

Sometimes we either don't say the truth, we don't really want to offend anybody, we just don't want to rock the boat, or we're so harsh and just pride ourselves on being the one that doesn't care what anyone thinks, and she walked that balance very well in being a compassionate truth teller. She had great strength in that.

Amy: 16:07

I want that. Yes me too, I want to be that a compassionate truth teller. We have lots of practice of doing it, and so Lord, teach our hearts of what that looks like.

Amy: 16:17

My one thing about Deborah is that she was a strong, humble leader who shared the stage. So a lot of what you said oh, we said the same thing. That's really the first one that we've said the same thing about, so interesting. All right, the last lady in the biblical order, biblical order number nine, is Naomi, and she was episode five. She's found in the book of Ruth and my one thing about her is that she grew bitter with her grief and she also wrestled back to her faith.

Jamy: 16:47

Yes, perfectly so.

Amy: 16:48

And those are the two things that I love about Naomi. Yes, what about you?

Jamy: 16:51

It's the same that we need to be aware of bitterness, that bitterness blinds us to truth, and it made it where she could no longer see. If you find yourself in an Naomi spot, to hold tight to your Ruth, because Ruth really was able to encourage her and remind her, because Ruth Ruth was the one who could remind her of God's unfailing love. Bitterness blinds us to the reality of God's unfailing love, but having a partner, a mentor, a mentee, a sister in Christ there with us can tell us the truth about that and help us to find that place again.

Jamy: 17:24

That's so good.

Amy: 17:25

I love these ladies. I do too. Oh, my goodness. Now we're all at the table together and we thought it was just going to be a wonderful vision of having them all in the room with us and remembering who they are, and we pray that this has been an encouraging journey for you as well and to remember and if there are certain ones that you're like wait a minute, I don't remember that Go back and listen to it.

Amy: 17:49

I will have this list and show notes and say that you, if you didn't catch which one was what, you will be able to see it as a resource.

Jamy: 17:55

That is a great tool. That is going to be wonderful.

Amy: 17:58

And one of these ladies is one of us, and who God is to her, he is to you and me, and we so look forward to continuing our journey with the women of the Bible in 2024 on Cartag.